Category Archives: Wine review

Riesling sizzles at the National Wine Show

4 December 2005Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

The sheer delicious pleasure of drinking riesling, young or old, and the efficacy of screw caps for both early drinking and cellaring wines came through at the recent National Wine Show exhibitors’ tasting.

Faced with 1400 wines and just four hours’ tasting time, quick forays into chardonnay, cabernet and shiraz turned to a dedicated look at the 119 rieslings entered across seven classes. Better a leisurely taste of one variety than snippets of everything – especially with such rich pickings on offer.

While the older wines, which we’ll get to later, tell us a lot about the future direction of many younger wines, the current release 2005’s present the best buying opportunities. It was a great vintage.

But very young rieslings are notoriously difficult to judge. Almost invariably at wine shows simpler commercial wines outscore the long-lived classics. Then, as the years roll by, the best wines blossom – providing huge drinking pleasure and raking in gold medals.

In the National’s premium 2005 riesling class, for example, Yalumba’s inexpensive ‘Y’ riesling with 52/60 points outscored its cellar mates – the slightly more expensive Pewsey Vale (51) and the company flagships, Heggies (46.5) and The Contours (44).

Similarly, Leo Buring’s flagship, Leo Buring Leonay DW 117 – a glorious, if austere drop, at 45.5 points languished behind its cellar mates, Buring Clare Valley on 46.5 and Buring Eden Valley on 49.5.

So if the judges reward the second best wines, what are we to make of it? My interpretation is that it’s partly human fallibility – especially when faced with a long line up of delicate, high acid wines; and, partly as a consequence of this, wines of greater fragrance and upfront fruitiness tend to win the day.

And in great years like 2005 a silver medal winning Yalumba Y at $9 to $12 provides really delicious drinking. But you only have to taste older vintages of Heggies and The Contours where, ultimately, quality lies. Indeed, the 2003 Heggies won a gold medal and trophy at the National while The Contours won gold medals for the 2001 and 1999 vintages.

By the way, the top two rieslings in the 2005 premium class are the exceptions that prove the rule: Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2005 (55.5 points, gold medal) is a stayer but struck me as much fuller and richer than normal. The 2003 and 2001 also won gold in another classes.

And Jacob’s Creek Steingarten 2005 (56 points, gold and trophy) is stylistically different from earlier vintages. Normally austere and slow evolving, the 2005, says winemaker Bernard Hickin, was intentionally made to be fuller and riper with an eye on the American market.

In the museum class Steingarten 1997 won gold. But at the exhibitors’ tasting all three of the cork-sealed bottles available tasted different while the screw-capped gold medallists – Pewsey Vale The Contours 1999, Richmond Grove Watervale 1999 and Richmond Grove Watervale 1998 – showed a beautiful combination of maturity and freshness.

Those Richmond Groves, by the way, are perhaps the white bargain of Australian wine. They’re delicious when young, age beautifully and sell for as little $12.90. Unfortunately the lovely gold-medal winning 2005 (small volume commercial classes) won’t be released until September next year. But it’s worth noting as a must-buy.

While the Clare and Eden Valleys almost monopolised the gold medal spots, Houghtons staked a claim for Frankland River, Western Australia, with its minerally and dry 2002 vintage.

WINE REVIEWS

Yalumba ‘Y’ Series South Australia Riesling 2005 $9 to $12
Despite the humble price, ‘Y’ comes from the Barossa and the Eden Valley, key riesling areas. And in the hands of the Yalumba team, you can always count on the flavour and freshness being there. With 52 points out of 60 and a silver medal at the National Show, it outscored many much higher priced 2005 vintage wines. Over time, those wines may overtake ‘Y’. But for current drinking when you want tonnes of fruity aroma and flavour combined with zippy freshness, this is where the value lies. It should continue to drink well over the next two or three years.

Helm Canberra District Premium Riesling $ $33
Ken Helm’s been talking the riesling talk for decades. Now, deservedly, he’s walking the walk with this stunningly good wine. It’s the product of years of incremental adjustments to a winemaking regime applied to the very best grapes from Al Lustenberger’s fastidiously managed Murrumbateman vineyard. All it took was thirty years’ hard work, fuelled by vision, and a benign 2005 growing season that seems to have brought out the best in the variety. This is a wine with a seriously long future: it has the classic citrus and mineral aromatics and taut, intense, steely-yet-delicate palate of classic riesling. This is a great achievement for Ken and a very significant wine for the Canberra district, too. Cellar door phone number is 6227 5953.

Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $13 to $16
More often than not the very best rieslings reveal more as they age. This was reflected in the recent Barossa wine show results and at the National in Canberra. Amongst the 2005 vintage contenders, the flagship rieslings generally rated behind cheaper commercial releases. But, over time, we are sure to see those delicate, steely flagships surge ahead. Meanwhile, as these mature, there’s huge drinking pleasure in the more revealing, slightly cheaper rieslings like this triple-gold-medal winner from Peter Lehmann. With lovely aromatics, delicious fruit and taut, ultra-fresh, dry finish, it’s a stunning summer drink. Sensational at the price and has good cellaring potential.

Wine review — Domaine Day, Glug & McWilliams Hanwood

27 November 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Domaine Day Eden Valley Garganega 2005, $19.95
Former Chief Winemaker of Orlando, Robin Day, believes he is the first in Australia to plant garganega, the white grape of Soave, in Italy’s Veneto region. I had to visit Wellington, New Zealand, to taste the wine but have since enjoyed it twice in Australia, most recently at the Glug launch in Canberra last week. Apart from providing a bit of dinner party one-up-man-ship, the wine offers a delicious new spectrum of flavours in the full, racy, tropical-fruit direction. It’s pronounced “gar—gan-e-gar” and no matter how you say it, it’s available from the cellar door, phone number is 08 8524 6224.

Glug Fleurieu Peninsular ‘Our Little Devil’ Petit Verdot 2005, $6.99
Petit verdot, one of the varieties blended with cabernet sauvignon in Bordeaux, tends to make very deeply coloured, high tannin wines. Indeed, most seem a little too tannic. But the variety clearly likes Fleurieu’s maritime climate as Little Devil – made in the Veritas Winery by Barossa winemaker, Kym Teusner — offers loads of upfront sweet, ripe fruit to carry the tannin. It’s a medium bodied, tasty quaffer offering much more interest than any other I can think of at this price. Available at glug.com.au

McWilliams Hanwood Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2005, $8-$12
Consumption of sauvignon blanc and blends of it with semillon have been growing prodigiously for several years. According to McWilliams sales of semillon sauvignon blanc blends in the $9 to $15 price range increased by 34 per cent in the year to September — hence the arrival of this new hopeful under the Hanwood label. With a recommended retail price of $12 it slots into that fast-growing category. But in the real world we’ll probably see it at $7.99 and that price it gives excellent value with its rich lemony, semillon flavour and zesty, herbal sauvignon blanc lift.

Copyight © Chris Shanahan 2005 & 2007

Wine review — Lanson Champagne, St Joseph (Les Vins de Vienne) & Deakin Estate

20 November 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Lanson Champagne Vintage 1996 $79 to $89
With some of the big name vintage Champagnes pushing beyond $100 a bottle, Lanson 1996 offers sensational value for money. At New Zealand’s ‘Liquorland Top 100’ wine show recently I rated it the best of all the Champagnes and it went on to top the category. It shows the special flavour intensity and finesse of the great 1996 vintage in the distinctive high-acid, firm backbone Lanson style. At nine years’ it’s wonderfully fresh and drinks beautifully as an aperitif. But the flavour intensity, finesse and tight structure all suggest a good cellaring life given suitably cool conditions.

St Joseph (Les Vins de Vienne) 2003 $49.99
This is a Dan Murphy import from Les Vins de Vienne, a company formed by three well-known Rhone Valley producers. Made from shiraz grown at St Joseph in the northern Rhone, it’s a very good, clean expression of the regional style and not marred by the microbial spoilage seen in so many Rhone imports. It’s medium bodied, savoury and finely structured with a core of sweet, ripe, black cherry varietal fruit. My only quibble is that the everyday price seems a bit steep. Perhaps Dan might offer a special to bring it closer to that of Aussie shiraz of comparable quality.

Deakin Estate Shiraz 2004 $8 to $10
Screw cap sealed, this is a bright, fresh and fruity budget-priced red to enjoy right now. It’s sourced primarily from the Murray, in the vicinity of Mildura, but boosted by components from Coonawarra, South Australia, and Victoria’s King and Alpine Valleys. Fruit, fruit and more fruit seems to be its focus, starting with an attractive ‘cherry and musk’ varietal fragrance that carries brightly across a delicious, soft palate. It’s the sort of red you could chill slightly for those hot summer barbecues. Cellaring? Don’t even think about it. Watch for the specials at around $8.

Wine review — Ladbroke Grove, d’Arenberg & Pizzini

13 November 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Ladbroke Grove Coonawarra Riesling 2005 $17.99
This is a little producer to watch. Ladbroke’s Killian Cabernet 2001 won three trophies in the 2003 Limestone Coast Show. This year it was the riesling’s turn. After topping a strong 2005 vintage riesling class it went on to win the Karl Seppelt Trophy. Fruit comes from a northern Coonawarra vineyard, contracted to Ladbroke Grove and made in the Di Giorgio Winery by former Wynns winemaker, Peter Douglas. The wine springs out of the glass with its floral and lemon varietal aroma then lights up the palate with vibrant, very fine lemony flavours. Refreshing, delicate, minerally acids give the wine structure and length – and probably longevity, too.

d’Arenberg ‘The Feral Fox’ Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2004
We all know and love d’Arenberg for its traditional, robust but graceful McLaren Vale reds, built on shiraz, grenache, mourvedre and cabernet sauvignon. But there’s an innovative side to Chester Osborne’s winemaking as well with a raft of lovely Rhone-Valley white styles created in recent years and seriously good chardonnay and pinot noir emerging from the Adelaide Hills. This latest pinot is particularly convincing as it captures the variety’s heady perfume, delicious, plush palate and real red-wine complexity — complete with firm, fine, grippy tannins. And all of this comes in a wine that’s deceptively pale (by McLaren Vale standards). But that’s the enigma of good pinot.

Pizzini King Valley Sangiovese 2004 $25.99
Fred Pizzini visited Canberra last week presenting his King-Valley-grown Italian varietals – the red sangiovese and nebbiolo and the white arneis and verduzzo — at Vintage Cellars, Manuka, and Australian Wine Brokers, Braddon. This is an impressive line up of beautifully made, brightly flavoured wines that truly express the individuality of each variety – capturing even the elusive fragrant, elegant, tannic magic of nebbiolo, the grape of Piedmont’s Barolo. To get a glimpse of Pizzini’s touch (it’s a vineyard to bottle approach) try this sangiovese. It’s fresh and clean with the variety’s delicious ‘bitter cherry’ flavour and fine, dusty, drying tannins. Cellar door phone 03 5729 8030.

Winners from the Limestone Coast show

6 November 2005Wine, Wine reviewChris Shanahan

The Limestone Coast wine zone takes in all of South Australia south of Lake Alexandrina, bounded to the east by the Victorian border and to the west and south by the sea.

This unique limestone plain is home to The Coorong, Naracoorte World Heritage caves, the extinct volcano, Mount Gambier, the Robe crayfish industry, vast pinus radiata plantations, flocks of tasty fat lambs, sundry crops and about fifteen thousand hectares of vines. In the bumper 2004 harvest these produced about 172 thousand tonnes of grapes – equivalent to around 13 million dozen bottles.

So the Limestone Coast is a big wine producer. But it’s also a high-quality producer embracing one of Australia’s greatest gems, Coonawarra, as well as Padthaway, Wrattonbully, Lucindale, Mount Gambier, Robe, Mount Benson and Bordertown.

Together these make a feast of wine across a wide range of styles and prices. As the results of the recent Limestone Coast Wine Show indicate, the region produces not only high average quality but spectacular highlights as well.

In a field of 433 entries from 64 producers, two three-member judging teams awarded 33 gold, 64 silver and 163 bronze medals – a strike rate of 60 per cent.

And the spread of latitude, local climates, soil types and winemaker approaches saw a diversity of wine style sharing the medal haul with gold medals awarded to two rieslings, two chardonnays, one sauvignon blanc, ten shirazes and eighteen cabernet and cabernet blends.

Where cabernet fares poorly in most Australian regions, Coonawarra – a world specialist in the variety – underpinned, but didn’t monopolise, an exciting display by the variety at the show.

While Murdoch Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – an intense, firm, slow evolving example of the style, won the Cabernet trophy, there was a feast of other styles, ranging from the fragrant and juicy Penley Estate Coonawarra Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (top drops) to the sublime, mellow perfection of Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 1982.

And amongst the blends, the emerging Wrattonbully region earned golds for the 2002 and 2003 vintages of Stonehaven Rat & Bull Cabernet Shiraz while Padthaway struck gold with Browns ‘The Brigstock’ Cabernet Shiraz 2002.

The cabernet gold-medal shopping list included, as well, Majella Coonawarra 2003, Mildara Rothwell Coonawarra 2003, Leconfield Coonawarra 2003, Reschke ‘Empyrean’ Coonawarra 2002, Peppertree Coonawarra Grand Reserve 2002, Stonehaven Hidden Sea 2001, Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Coonawarra 1996, Orlando Jacaranda Ridge 1998, Balnaves Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot 2001, Penley Estate Coonawarra Conder Cabernet Shiraz 2004, Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2003 and Majella Mallea Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2002,

Shiraz showed class across the region with styles ranging from the supple, low-oak, new style Wynns Coonawarra 2004 to the inky-deep, powerful Orlando Lawson’s Vineyard Padthaway 2003, 2002 and 1994 (the 2002 won the best-shiraz Trophy).

While Coonawarra won three of the ten shiraz gold medals (Wynns 2004, Ladbroke Grove Reserve 2002 and Majella 2003) and Padthaway earned six (Morambro Creek 2003, Orlando Lawsons 2002, 2003 & 1994, Stonehaven Limited Release 1999 and 2001).

The tenth shiraz gold medal went to Wrattonbully grape grower Greg Koch for his Redden Bridge ‘Gully’ Shiraz 2003, winner, too, of the trophy for best single-vineyard wine. This excellent new drop is due for release next year. So watch this space.

And to finish on a refreshing white note, Balnaves topped the show with its intense and silky Coonawarra Chardonnay 2003, made by Pete Bissell.

WINE REVIEWS

Penley Estate Coonawarra Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $19.99
At last week’s Limestone Coast Show, Singapore based writer, Ch’ng Poh Tiong awarded Phoenix the International Judge’s Trophy as his favoured wine of the show. Together with James Halliday, we’d ranked it at the top of the small 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon class, noting its vibrant, sweet, fruity aroma and juicy, fleshy, drink-now palate. Waxing metaphorical at the trophy presentation, Poh Tiong praised its ‘smouldering-ember smoky’character – fitting for a wine named Phoenix, I suppose. With or without metaphors, it’s simply delicious and made specifically for early drinking. It’s to be released in early December and will be available at cellar door (08 8736 3211) and fine wine retail outlets.

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Johnson’s Block Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $35
Johnson’s block is a distinguished Coonawarra vineyard with vines dating from 1925. Recent rejuvenation work – principally restructuring dense, woody, vine canopies – seems to have paid off in Johnson’s blend with its beautifully even, ripe berry fruit flavours and supple tannins. It also displays Sue Hodder’s well thought out change in winemaking philosophy inspired by the elegance and longevity of Wynns reds of the 1950s. The limpid colour, bright berry flavours, supple tannins and supportive oak provide a substantial, potentially long live modern interpretation of a traditional style well removed from the darker, more alcoholic, more tannic, more oaky reds that’ve prevailed in recent decades. Johnson’s hits the mark as it focuses on Coonawarra’s unique, bright berry flavours without compromising depth or complexity of flavour.

Wine review — Seppelt Benno, Richmond Grove & Lindemans

30 October 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Seppelt ‘Benno’ Bendigo Shiraz 2003 $50, St Peters Grampians Shiraz 2003 $60
These are sensational reds – the top two in Seppelt’s range of Victorian Shirazes. ‘Benno’ appears indestructible having lasted a week on the tasting bench, building and strengthening over time. It has an essence-like concentration of fruit flavour and plush, fine, velvety texture. St Peters, from vineyards around the winery at Great Western, is pure magic with its ethereal aroma and taut, concentrated, savoury palate that grows in interest with every sip. This may have lasted a week on the tasting bench, too. But it didn’t have a chance. It simply had to be consumed. This is unquestionably one of Australia’s very great red wines.
Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2004 $13 to $18
Chuffed by a gold medal at the Melbourne Show, the Orlando PR team recently sent wine scribes a bottle of the 2004 medal winner with another of the 1999. After a year and half in bottle the 2004 tastes beautifully fresh and young with delicious, delicate, lime-like varietal aroma and flavour. The 1999, the second vintage sealed with screw cap, proved again the seal’s effectiveness. Here was a six-year-old, still with delicacy, freshness and ‘lime’ varietal character, but with that extra honeyed richness of bottle age. Chateau Shanahan bought and cellared that ’99 at about $11 a bottle and, in real terms, the 2004 can be found on special at a comparable price. This is one of Australia’s great bargain wines.
Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay 2005, $8 to $10
This was one of Australia’s early export successes, taking our ‘sunshine in a bottle’ chardonnay style to the world before being introduced to the domestic market once the supply of chardonnay grapes expanded. It’s now made on a very large scale and still offers outstanding value for money, especially on discount. Bin 65 offers bright, fresh, well defined melon and peach varietal flavours with smooth mid-palate texture, a little seasoning of oak and a fresh, clean finish. It’s generous and tasty without being overblown or over oaky

Wine review — Hardys Oomoo, Eileen Hardy & Peter Lehmann

23 October 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Hardys Oomoo McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004, $9.90 to $15
Here’s proof of the trickle down effect: the flagship Eileen Hardy Shiraz is McLaren Vale based and amongst the best reds in Australia. Budget priced Oomoo benefits from the effort expended on Eileen. This is reflected in its fruit brightness, generous, chocolaty regional character, savoury ‘real red’ flavour and a convincing, grippy finish. If you find some mid priced reds taste more like fruit juice than red wine, give this one a go. It’s made for red wine lovers but doesn’t belt you over the head with oak or suck the water from your eyes with hard tannins. Drink now to 2009.

Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2002, $35 to $45
A vertical tasting of Eileen Hardy Chardonnays from the first vintage, 1986, to the unreleased 2004 (see main story) confirmed in my mind that Eileen sits at the top of the pack in Australia. To my palate it hit the pace in 2000 and, since then, it’s made little advances with the 2002 and 2004 being as good as it gets in Australia. And that makes it a bargain given the $100 plus price tags of some of its competitors. Good bottles of 2002 I’d rate as probably the best Aussie chardonnay yet tasted. However, the 2004 gives it a close run and will ultimately be the better buy as it comes screw cap sealed and should not suffer the bottle variation seen under earlier cork-sealed vintages.

Peter Lehmann Barossa Semillon 2002 & Barossa Shiraz Grenache 2004 about $12
These are delicious, approachable wines offering regional character at a budget price. Lehmann pioneered this crisp, light, lemony style of semillon in the Barossa. Picked early and treated gently, Barossa semillon delivers vibrant varietal flavour in a delicate dry white that weighs in at a modest 11.5 per cent alcohol. That means flavour without alcoholic astringency. The red uses shiraz as a base to give generosity. But grenache tempers shiraz, softening and lightening the mid palate and boosting the aroma. The focus is primarily on vibrant and fruit and softness, but there’s sufficient tannin to give structure and a little grip.

Wine review — Thomas, St Hallett & Pol Roger Champagne

16 October 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Thomas Hunter Valley Braemore Semillon 2005 $24, Kiss Shiraz 2004 $48
Former Tyrrell winemaker, Andrew Thomas, now makes wine for Hungerford Hill and a range of Hunter clients as well as sourcing outstanding material for his own label. The two reviewed here are superb regional specialties. The intense, delicate, vibrant and potentially very long-lived Braemore semillon comes from the alluvial soils of Hermitage Road, in the lower Hunter. And Kiss, from mature shiraz vines near Brokenwood’s Graveyard vineyard, Pokolbin, is a remarkable red in the classic Hunter mould: generous fruit flavour but medium bodied and with soft, silky tannins. It’s seductive and lovely now but has the depth to age well for a decade or more. Cellar door phone 02 6574 7371.

St Hallett Gamekeepers Reserve Barossa Shiraz Grenache 2004 $12 to $16
Launched by big Bob McLean in the early nineties, Gamekeepers Reserve always offered good value but has evolved constantly under winemaker Stuart Blackwell. It’s made for early drinking, so the focus is on bright, fresh berry flavours with soft tannins. Stuart attributes the floral aromatics and fresh berry flavour to Grenache and a touch of Touriga Nacional (a Portuguese port variety). Aerobic winemaking, he says, helps to smooth the tannins, while shiraz fills out the mid palate. It’s made without oak maturation and this seems to suit this very slurpy, grapey style. It’s a style to enjoy at room temperature in cooler weather or lightly chilled as the thermometer rises.

Pol Roger Champagne Vintage 1998 about $100
Pol’s a Chateau Shanahan Champagne favourite, loved for its purity of fruit flavour and lovely delicacy. It’s a blend of pinot noir (60 per cent) and chardonnay (40 per cent) from twenty of the highest rated vineyards in the Champagne region. What always amazes me about these top Champagnes is how young and fresh they taste with considerable age. In this instance seven years in the bottle seems to have harmonised the delicious fruit flavours and subtle, lees-aged character into a luxurious, delicate mouthful of stunning freshness. From past experience Pol vintage seems to develop favourable for another five or six years if correctly cellared.

Wine review — Langmeil, Penfolds & Peter Lehmann

9 October 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Langmeil Barossa ‘Valley Floor’ Shiraz 2003, $24.50 cellar door
After judging at the Barossa show a few weeks back I dropped into Langmeil, home to some of the Valley’s oldest vines, dating to 1843. The $100 ‘Freedom ‘ Shiraz 2003, made from these vines, is impressively vibrant and concentrated and just one of a handful of reds expressing various characteristics of the valley and its grapes. The range includes the wonderful ‘Fifth Wave Grenache 2002 ($28) from 60-70 year old vines; Jackaman’s Cabernet 2003 from a one-acre 19th century vineyard at Lyndoch in the south; Old Vine Company Shiraz 2002 ($100) from century old vines; and, the value pick of them all, this sumptuous, silky ‘Valley Floor’ Shiraz. Cellar door 08 8563 2595.
Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2004, Shiraz 2003, Shiraz Cabernet 2003 $9 to $15
Forget recommended retail prices. The global oversupply and competitive retail environment continue to squish prices, especially on big brands like Koonunga Hill. That means watch for the special s and dive in because the quality is very high. The 2004 Chardonnay is impressive as it shows the attractive flavours and textures of good fruit subjected to proper barrel fermentation and ageing. The Shiraz shows the lifted aromatics of the variety and while ripe and juicy has proper, soft red-wine tannins but doesn’t hammer the mouth with oak. Good old Shiraz Cabernet, the original Koonunga, is a little weightier with the strength of cabernet supporting rich shiraz – and with typical Penfolds layered structure.
Peter Lehmann Barossa Rosé 2005 about $15
Rosé ought to be a winner in the hot Aussie climate. And its current surge in popularity might spread if every rosé measured up to this beautiful example from Peter Lehmann. It romped home at the recent Barossa Show thanks to its sparkling-bright, light pink colour, fresh-strawberry aroma and deliciously fruity, crisp, refreshing palate. This is a purpose made rosé based on old bush-vine Barossa grenache — a pale coloured variety noted for the fragrance, softness and fruitiness of its wine. These are the keys to its success in rosé making as fruit flavour hits the spot better than residual sugar. The 2004 may still be around. It’s very good. But rosé’s always best as a baby. So move on to the 2005 as soon as it’s released.

Wine review — Yalumba & Peter Lehmann

2 October 2005Wine reviewChris Shanahan

Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2004 $19.95 to $22.95
Yalumba offers three viogniers, each outstanding at its price – and little wonder. Since establishing Australia’s first significant plantings in the Eden Valley in 1980, they’ve worked hard to tame and bottle what winemaker Louisa Rose calls an ‘incredibly challenging’ and ‘unpredictable’ variety. The amazingly plush, complex $60-a-bottle ‘The Virgilius’ comes from those original plantings; and at the other end the $10-$13 ‘Y’ is a tasty South Australia blend. In between, at $19.95 cellar door or $22.95 retail, comes this trophy winner from the recent Cowra and Barossa Shows. Partly barrel and partly tank fermented with indigenous yeast, it offers viognier’s unique and delicious apricot-like aroma and flavour and silky, slippery texture.

Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2005 $16 to $20
More often than not the very best rieslings reveal more as they age. This was reflected in last week’s Barossa wine show results. Amongst the 2005 vintage contenders, the flagship rieslings of Peter Lehmann, Yalumba and Leo Buring all rated behind cheaper commercial releases from the same companies. But, over time, we are sure to see those delicate, steely flagships surge ahead. Meanwhile, as these mature, there’s huge drinking pleasure in the more revealing, slightly cheaper rieslings like this trophy winner from Peter Lehmann. With lovely aromatics, delicious fruit and taut, ultra-fresh, dry finish, it’s a stunning summer drink. Watch for the specials when it’s released in the next month or two.

Yalumba Barossa Bush Vines Grenache 2004 about $18
This gold medal winner from last week’s Barossa show presents a fragrant, bright, fruity expression of grenache without the confection character sometimes found in the variety. Winemaker Kevin Glastonbury says it’s all sourced from 60-70 year old Barossa vines. The fruit is hand picked, crushed, partially de-stemmed then left in fermenters varying in capacity from 8 to 20 tonnes. After a couple of days soaking on skins a spontaneous ferment begins but this is augmented by the addition of cultured yeasts shortly thereafter. Part of the wine sits on skins for a few months after fermentation. The balance goes to 3, 4 and 5 year old barrels for maturation. The result is a generous, soft, savoury red featuring slightly brighter fruit in the about-to-be-released 2004 than in the more savoury, currently available 2003.